STREET GANGS -- YOU ARE THE TARGET

By Ray Decunto
Calibre Press
Street Survival Instructor

On Wednesday, April 21, 2004, Officer Thomas Steiner was exiting the Pomona Courthouse in California, when he was approached by a 16-year-old male. The teenager shot Steiner twice in his vest and once in the head. Officer Steiner was rushed to the hospital, but tragically, he died approximately five hours later.

Investigators believe the crime was gang-related. The 16-year-old was later arrested and charged with Officer Steiner's murder.

This is one of the most recent examples of the violence involved with street gangs. Today street gangs exist in virtually every community. They are not just confined to large cities. Areas of the community, which have not previously experienced gang activity, are now confronted with the problem on a regular basis. Statistics tell us most gang members range from 12 to 30 years of age and are made up of all different ethnic backgrounds. Gang members are also not just limited to the male gender. Female gang members are on the increase and just as dangerous as the males. In addition, current intelligence in some of the larger cities has shown predominantly female gangs forming. There are so many different street gangs in this country that it would be nearly impossible to list them all. They are constantly evolving, changing and merging with larger gangs, which makes it difficult to stay current with them. What you need to think about is the danger street gangs pose to YOU - the "law enforcement officer", also known to a street gang member as "The Target."

KNOW YOUR ENEMY

Collecting intelligence on street gangs in your community may save your life or the life of another law enforcement officer. There are several ways to identify gang members. The first is their appearance. Gang members are very proud and loyal to their gang and will probably display their colors and signs. They will do this on themselves with their clothing, tattoos, and jewelry, as well as graffiti on buildings, signs, fences or any object big enough to paint or write on. Remember, you need to KNOW YOUR ENEMY before you can combat them.

Gang members have their own way of communicating verbally and non-verbally by creating their own alphabet and language as well as using hand signals. Knowing their system may help you recognize pre-attack indicators.

Gang members are constantly studying law enforcement and ways to defeat us. Surfing the Internet can give them plenty of information they need about us - but we can to the same to them. There is a great deal of information about street gangs on the Internet. Find it, read it, and learn it because they are definitely doing their homework on us - we must do ours too! To them, we are the enemy and in real street gangs, disarming, injuring or killing a law enforcement officer gains them respect with their gang and will put them on a higher level with their peers and gang leaders.

INITIATION

Recruitment into a real street gang involves an initiation, which is accomplished by proving your loyalty to the gang. The member must show their love for the gang by risking their life if ordered. The membership may involve a "Blood in" type initiation. To gain acceptance into the gang, individuals must "Blood in." This means they must spill someone's blood or to have their own "Victory" blood shed. There are various ways to "Blood in," for example: fights, gang beatings, also called beat ins, stabbings, aggravated assaults, batteries, and murders against law enforcement personnel, robberies, rapes and group sex for women "Blooding in" (also called "Sexed in). The rule is simple - blood must be shed. This may be YOUR BLOOD, LAW ENFORCMENT BLOOD, and WITH NO REMORSE WHATSOEVER. So what does this tell us? It tells us that WE are the TARGET and we can never take street gangs lightly. Your awareness to your surroundings is the first step to winning a lethal confrontation with a street gang member. The percentage is high that you could be part of their initiation and it doesn't matter who else is around, where you're at or what time of day it is. The gang member recruit will try to spill your blood AT ALL COST.

WANNA-BE's

Throughout this article, I have used the term "real street gang." What is a wanna-be? And should they be considered as dangerous as a real street gang member? The answer is YES! The difference is acceptance. The wanna-be is the same violent individual that is not in an organized street gang. They will do anything to be accepted into a gang, including hurting or killing a law enforcement officer. There are documented cases of extreme violence by wanna-be gang members and when investigated it was determined they felt they had to do the extreme to prove to other wanna-be's and gang members that they have what it takes.

A 'TACTICAL' CONCLUSION

If you encounter a person and through your observations believe that they are affiliated with a street gang, you are already one step ahead. AWARENESS IS THE KEY, which means you must stay current with the street gangs in your area. Once you recognize a possible street gang member, there are two things for certain; "Tactics first" and "Act nice-think mean." Keep yourself in an advantageous position and don't lower your guard just because they are nice to you. They may not be wearing their colors or other identifiers that let you know right away they are a gang member, but tattoos and mannerisms may give them away. If the gang member recruit is working on their initiation; they will pattern law enforcement and prey on the weak link. This is where our training and winning mindset will prepare us for the encounter. Street gang members are getting younger and more dangerous. There are too many of us inju7red and killed every year and it's getting more violent every day. We must study and learn their tactics, train hard, train real and WIN the fight.